Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2012 00:19:01 -0600
Reply-To: OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: front brakes
In-Reply-To: <ED273234-3053-417D-9B34-4E1396E13A11@AOL.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
That is possibly why you do not need bigger brakes ~ Those of us who
choose to make the most
of our Vanagons capabilities & who choose to run larger than OEM
wheels&tires can also find benefits
in having better than OEM brakes. Similarly to the way that running
bigger wheels opens up many new
possibilities in tire availability, running bigger brakes that are
used on higher performance cars makes
more pads available. I have been a fan of EBC Reds & Greens for many
years & they are not available
for Vanagon OEM Calipers but I can&do get EBC pads for the Audi 200
Calipers that I now have on the
front of my VDubaru. Now, on those occasions when I find myself
running a river shuttle with 2 Rafts
with RowingFrames & 4 Kayaks on a trailer behind VDubaru & 8 Paddlers
& their gear inside, I can be
very confident that that whole package will stop pretty much when &
where I want it to.
ORR ~ DeanB
On 5 Jun , 2012, at 10:28 AM, Frank Condelli wrote:
> OEM Carat Alloy 14" wheels and properly rated tires.
>
> Frank
>
> On 2012-06-05, at 11:16 AM, OlRivrRat wrote:
>
>> Frank
>>
>> Does your '87Westy still have OEM size wheels & tires ?
>>
>> ORR ~ DeanB
>>
>>
>> On 5 Jun , 2012, at 3:24 AM, Frank Condelli wrote:
>>
>>> OK, from the land of been there done that. For the past 6 ~
>>> 7 years may more or less, I've lost count, we have spent our
>>> winters travelling to and from home to Mexico and all over
>>> Mexico. So if you think you have some mountains around you check
>>> your Mexican geography. Try the road from Penlenque to San
>>> Cristobal for starters. Try the entire Mex 200 on the West
>>> coast. Try the road between Puerto Escondido and Oaxaca. I could
>>> go on & on. So.......the story is our 1987 Westy with around
>>> 700,000 kms on her has its OEM brakes, nothing special, good new
>>> pads, shoes properly adjusted and new Dot 4 fluid every couple of
>>> years, should be changed every two years, did you know that ?,
>>> before setting out and using the gearbox properly for down hill
>>> decent, never overheated any brakes and never ran out of brakes so
>>> what's all the fuss about ?
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2012-06-05, at 12:00 AM, Automatic digest processor wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 06/04/2012 04:39 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>>>>> Driving a vehicle in hilly territory requires some skill. While
>>>>> brake
>>>>> upgrades and such buy some time or capacity any downhill
>>>>> application of the
>>>>> brakes for an extended period will become a problem.
>>>>
>>>> [description of techniques snipped for brevity]
>>>>
>>>> I do do what is suggested, such as downshifting my auto trans to
>>>> hold
>>>> back my speed, etc. I have never smelt hot brakes, not sure if this
>>>> vehicle's brakes stink up the joint when when overheat so that
>>>> might not
>>>> mean much; but after hearing so much about how wimpy the stock '84
>>>> brakes are, how swell the Big Brakes are, &c., &c., a fellow
>>>> starts to
>>>> wonder if this isn't something he should look into before he
>>>> plunges off
>>>> the road to certain death and becomes a headline.
>>>>
>>>> So my question is: will DOT4 brake fluid and attentive use of
>>>> engine
>>>> drag via downshifting pretty much make bigger brakes a non-issue?
>>>>
>>>> If the answer is "yes," then I've saved money for something more
>>>> interesting.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Frank Condelli
>>> Almonte, Ontario, Canada
>>> '87 VW Westy, '00 Kawasaki 250 Sherpa, "98 Ducati 750 Monster &
>>> Lionel Trains (Collection for sale)
>>> Frank Condelli & Associates - Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in
>>> the Ottawa Valley
>>> Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems
>>> BusFusion a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 07 ~ 10, 2012
>>
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